It is “the news that Saudi Arabia and football fans across the region have been waiting for”rejoices Arab News. FIFA officially entrusted, Wednesday, December 11, the 2030 World Cup to the Spain-Portugal-Morocco trio, with three matches in South America, and the 2034 World Cup to the Wahhabi kingdom, a double designation that the 211 member federations combined by videoconference were ratified by acclamation.
Saudi Arabia will thus become the second Middle Eastern country to host the tournament, twelve years after neighboring Qatar in 2022, note Al-Jazeera.
The announcement “marks a decisive moment in the incredible and breathtaking journey of [Riyad] to become a hub of global sport”enthuses Saudi Gazette. The World Cup “will consolidate the kingdom’s status as a leader in the organization of mega sporting events, reflecting the ambitions of Vision 2030”.
“The greatest prize of all”
By granting Saudi Arabia, although regularly accused of “sportswashing” – the use of sport to distract from its human rights record and environmental impact – the 2034 Men’s World Cup, football’s governing body handed it “the greatest prize of all”notice New York Times. “No other competition on the planet attracts as much attention as the Centenary Quadrennial, a national team competition that propels host nations into the spotlight in a way that only the Summer Olympics can match. ”
Under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman, its de facto leader, Saudi Arabia has in recent years launched a spending spree in world sport. “Tennis, golf, Formula 1 and top-level boxing have all benefited from Saudi munificence, as have some of the world’s most high-profile football players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who have been lured away from the Europe to play in Saudi Arabia. But organizing the World Cup is a feat of another magnitude”observes the American newspaper.
But remember New York Timeshuman rights groups had opposed the Saudi candidacy, “believing that the country’s human rights record places thousands of migrant workers at risk […] who will probably have to build the infrastructure – stadiums, airports, roads and hotels, even a new city – necessary for the organization of the competition”. Moreover, “Other critics, including supporters groups, said FIFA… rigged the vote in favor of the Saudis by changing the bidding rules.”
The daily also reports that the announcement of the winning candidacy “was done without the fanfare that had accompanied previous candidates winning the event”. “Media from the 2030 host countries present at FIFA headquarters were few, if any, and a handful of Saudi journalists applauded when Saudi Arabia’s name was taken out of the envelope.”
“Unimaginable human cost”
CNN also points out that several NGOs have warned “against certain problems – in particular abuses against migrant workers, freedom of expression and the rights of minority groups – in this Gulf country”. The deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch (HRW), Michael Page, recently warned against “unimaginable human cost” of this attribution.
“Many migrant workers will die”warns for his part The Guardian. “Millions of migrants will build stadiums, transport networks and hotels. But testimonies from Bangladeshis who worked there suggest the abuses run deep in the Gulf kingdom.”
